The terms “laptop”, “laptop computer”, “notebook” and “notebook computer”, as broadly employed herein, should be understood to be interchangeable with one another and to broadly relate to essentially any type of portable computer as commonly understood in connection with any or all of those four terms.
Ultra-mobile devices (UMD's) have proliferated in recent years and have taken on many forms. Generally they refer to any smaller, portable computing device that has a host of capabilities normally found in a desktop or laptop computer, such as (but by no means limited to): internet access, word processing, and image display and management. Indeed, UMD's often have at least as much computing power as a typical laptop.
Because of their smaller size, however, UMD's have tended to suffer from several user interface issues. In many cases, the user interface is a scaled-down version of a full-sized user interface (such as “WINDOWS EXPLORER”) and the small screen involved does not at all lend itself easily to the consumption or creation of data, or to general navigation and use. Also, UMD's tend to require an excess of gross motor movements when being navigated, especially in proportion to laptops and desktops; further, the motor movements involved are necessarily more intricate and exacting, and can often present great discomfort.
Another problem has been encountered in that UMD's enjoy only a relatively short battery life when compared to laptops. Given that UMD's are for many consumers replacing laptops, this deficiency has been seen to warrant improvement.
In view of the foregoing, a need has been recognized in connection with overcoming the shortcomings and disadvantages presented by known arrangements as discussed above.